What do you wish Apple did differently with the MBA/MBP

[russell_314]

I understand why it was lost, but I don’t care the mini-LED display lids are thicker than prior gen, make it even a mm thicker and gimme my glowing Apple back!

I’m totally in agreement with you. The problem is I think we’re in the minority on this one. I think they could do it properly with a separate light and shield to protect the screen from outside light. I suspect the penalty would be slightly thicker lid, and of course all this would cost extra money. I don’t see that being popular just for a cosmetic feature. I suspect that’s the reason why it was cut in the first place. You can’t really blame Apple though because a good example is when the MacBook Air went up $200 after like a decade being the same price and people lost their ever loving minds 😂

 

[eltoslightfoot]

@maflynn!!!! It's great to have you back!!! I would change very little on my M1 MBA. I got the 512GB HDD and 16GB RAM version. Maybe that's what I would change, make the 512/16 the starting point in the configurations. It never runs hot and it has no moving internal parts. No fan. No dust. Perfection.

 

[marstan]

Non-glossy, matte screen option on all macbooks.

 

[mysticmanix]

One USB-A port

 

[Gudi]

The MBA needs to offer the same colors as the iMac.

 

[christlinah]

After some tinkering and working with my new 16" MBP I have to say that it's pretty much a perfect laptop for me - Apple absolutely nailed it here. The only thing I'd maybe wish for was a single USB-A port but that's nitpicking.

 

[norbinhouston]

Bring back the backlit logo.

 

[BenRacicot]

as a 16" owner who is generally happy with this machine:

• raytracing hardware acceleration (niche, given that i work in 3d and i'm sure most don't, but would still be lovely)
• hdmi 2.1; i don't have any monitors that require it currently, but would be much more forwards facing.
• there is some sort of issue with apple silicon and external monitors flickering/interlacing/glitching out. i don't know if its a hardware or software issue, but its persisted intermittently since i got the machine, even after a complete wipe and fresh reinstall. i've also seen enough support threads about it to be convinced its not just "my monitor/cable/machine" but a wider spread regression that was introduced with apple silicon.

This! HDMI 2.1 and best-in-class external display support would be my first votes. Lots of complaints lately as monitor tech is creeping forward.

Seems the MacOS is locked at 60hz. But I believe individual applications are not locked to it.

Ray tracing does exist. I saw a page on metal’s website that discussed how devs can take advantage of it. I’ll try to find it again.

I can confirm The monitor issue on both these LG models (and many various high-end cables)
27UD68-W 2 Inch IPS LED 4K UHD FreeSync, 60hz
27UK650-W 27 Inch 4K UHD IPS LED HDR 10

I’m convinced it’s the MBP but haven’t decided if it’s a GPU issue. It could be a controller problem or MacOS issue as well.

Getting new monitors this week and hoping to push max Hz with new display port cables. Will let you know if you reply.

 

[satcomer]

I'm surised you nerds did bring up the HDMI 2.0 port on Macs still! Apple please put the HDMI2.1 port on the Macs from now on!

 

[smithdr]

I'm surised you nerds did bring up the HDMI 2.0 port on Macs still! Apple please put the HDMI2.1 port on the Macs from now on!

You should not be surprised. Too many are more concerned about color and a glowing Apple.

 

[theorist9]

Certainly this is one thing they should have done differently:

M1 Thunderbolt ports don’t fully support USB 3.1 Gen 2

It’s limited to 5 Gb/s, giving read rates of about 400 MB/s and writes at about 430 MB/s. Fine for Time Machine backups, but bad with NVMe drives.

eclecticlight.co

Speaking of USB speeds, I'd like to see the TB ports support USB Gen 2x2. Some Gen 2x2 external SSD's, like the Kingston XS2000, aren't any more expensive than Gen 2 devices (~$200 for 2 TB), yet their top speeds are nearly twice as high. [Nominally 20 Gb/s for Gen 2x2, vs. 10 Gb/s for Gen 2.].

I'd also like to see them support Display Port Alt Mode 2.0, which allows DP 2.0 UHBR 20 (80 Gb/s) over USB-C. This would enable higher screen resolutions (8k) and refresh rates.

 

[maflynn]

Bring back the backlit logo.

Indeed, I truly miss that. There are just some iconic designs, that I was sad to see go.

 

[ChedNasad]

The M1 and M2 devices not supporting multiple external displays is my biggest beef. I have an M1 Macbook Pro for work and I would have bought a second monitor if this was not the case. My personal machine is the 14' Pro and that is a much better product overall but I would trade the SD card slot on it for a USB Type A in a heartbeat.